A Blessing in Disguise
by Vanilla Arcana
Summary: Chizuru wakes up in the middle of the night to find Shinpachi drunk in the courtyard. She tells him to come inside, which he misinterprets as an invitation to spend the night in 'her' room. The Shinsengumi squad leader discovers that he has more honor than he knew he possessed when he wakes up to find Chizuru snuggled against him, unharmed and fully clothed.


"What on earth was that?" Chizuru sat up in bed and glanced in the direction of the inner courtyard. She heard the strange noise again and fastened her yukata before rising to slip into her sandals. The shoji door slid open as she peered into the darkness and gasped, "S-Shinpachi?"

Sure enough, the Second Division's captain hiccupped and waved back at her when she called his name a second time. It was bitter cold out but Chizuru ventured into the courtyard and approached her comrade with caution.

"Do you know what time it is? I mean – "

"Ehh? Wuzzat?" interjected the man with another hiccup. He glanced up at her with a goofy grin and a fierce blush spread across his cheeks. His breath reeked of alcohol as he spoke again, "Cheezuyuu! I din' see ya thar!"

The young woman narrowed her eyes and frowned. She bent over and tugged on his headband, urging him to rise. "You'll catch cold if you sleep out here. At least come inside."

"You invitin' me back ta yer place, huh? Mmm…" hummed Shinpachi as he wobbled to his feet and followed his friend back to the main house. He was led down the corridor to his own room, and once Chizuru was certain he sat down again, she headed back to her own modest quarters. A voice stumbled behind her, "Hoo, nice room! Hiji must be pretty sweet on ya…"

Chizuru froze in horror and whipped her head around. "S-Shinpachi! What do you think you're doing?! This isn't your room!"

"Haa?" The enormous swordsman scratched the back of his head. "Butchu said I could come inside, right?"

"I meant _your room_, not mine," grumbled the brunette as she folded her arms under her chest.

"W-Whut? I ain't good 'nough for ya? You dun mind if Hiji or Oki come in here, but when I try to…" Shinpachi's shoulders slumped and his head lowered like a wounded dog's. As if that weren't enough, he started to sniffle and muttered, "Das fine. I get da point. I'll go…"

Chizuru knew she would come to regret her sympathy but she grabbed Shinpachi's arm, stopping him. "I didn't mean it that way either. Hijikata and Okita are no better than the next man. Besides, you're a fine man in your own right."

"Soo I can stay?" The swordsman peeked over his shoulder wearing a hopeful smile.

"You don't understand," started his friend in a tired voice. She rubbed her temples and heaved another sigh. "If you stayed the night then our reputations would be compromised. Rumors would fly faster than Heisuke after three cups of Sake."

Shinpachi suddenly turned around and clumsily pushed her into the wall. His large hands cupped her face and lifted it slightly. "Yer awful pretty, ya know that? I-I wish I had a nice gal like you to come home to evvy night…Den I wouldn't haff an excuse to get drunk…"

"S-Shinpachi…" Chizuru stammered and swallowed hard. Her face glowed against his warm touch.

"I mean it, dammit. Yer a real peach. A treasure…" His fingers threaded into her loose hair and combed through. "Da man dat gets you fer his woman gonna be damn lucky. I, uh…" He pulled Chizuru into his arms and held her close, not uttering another word.

After a few minutes, Shinpachi dragged Chizuru down to the floor and rolled onto her bed. Despite her protests and verbal objections he made himself comfortable, curling into a ball. He held Chizuru against his chest and breathed deep of her scent. Nothing put him more at ease than her presence.

"I kinda wish you were mine sometimes…" he muttered and let his blue eyes wander over her. A wry laugh escaped him as he shook his head. "But Imma juss being sentimental. Muss be da booze talkin'."

"Shinpachi, I really do…" Chizuru paused mid-sentence when she felt something weigh upon her shoulder. She looked up and saw that her precious comrade's eyes were closed, his mouth gaping wide as he started to snore. Giggling, she wriggled up enough to peck his cheek and whispered, "Goodnight, you unruly thing."

Morning hit the Shinsengumi squad leader like a sledgehammer to the face. He awoke to a painful throbbing in his head and the sunlight practically blinded him.

"Ugh. Where am I?" he asked aloud and reached up to cradle his aching head. He felt something rustle and stir beneath him, so he looked down to see which woman his alcoholism victimized this time. "C-Chizuru?! Oh God, don't tell me I – "

He craned his head back and saw that his clothes were still intact, much to his relief. His attention returned to the young lady nestled against his chest; she was sleeping so soundly that he didn't have the heart to wake her. Instead, he laid back down and gently cradled her in his arms. The pain in his head subsided as he drifted into dream land again…

"_Maybe someday I can wake up to the same face every morning. I hope it's yours."_

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Short and fluffy. I do adore Shinpachi and Chizuru together. It's a shame there isn't more fan fiction about them. They're so cute~ This was written for 'Rumor" at SmallFandomFlashFics and "Drunkenness" at GenBingo.


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